NXT
Date: September 26, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, William Regal

Back to Florida for another NXT today. The main story now is Ohno vs. Steamboat which has been building up for a few weeks now. Other than that we have the Usos vs. Ascension in the main tag feud which may wind up being for a spot on the main rosters, which the Usos already have. Hopefully NXT can get its spark back tonight. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Ohno attacking Richie Steamboat a few weeks back as well as the events of last week with the sparring session where Ohno destroyed a jobber until Steamboat made the save.

Michael McGillicutty vs. Bo Dallas

Regal tells a cool story about Dallas’ grandfather (Blackjack Mulligan) and McGillicutty’s grandfather (Larry Hennig) fighting each other decades ago. Dallas starts by tossing Michael into the air for a crash landing to take over. Some clotheslines in the corner have McGillicutty in even more trouble and an elbow knocks him to the floor. Dallas pounds away even more on the outside and they barely beat the count back in.

The referee tries to pull Dallas off of McGillicutty allowing the man that should be called Joe Hennig to get in a right hand and send Dallas’ shoulder into the post as we take a break. Back with McGillicutty pounding away on Dallas’ head and putting on a hammerlock. The fans chant YOU TAPPED OUT at one of the guys. I can’t tell which because I don’t remember either of these guys tapping out recently. Did Dallas tap out to Mahal in the tournament? That’s a long time ago to reference something if he did.

Dallas comes back in off the apron with a sunset flip for two but McGillicutty takes out the arm again to take over. Dallas comes back with some clotheslines and a bulldog with the bar arm for no cover. He loads up something but McGillicutty drops to the mat to keep Dallas from trying it. Dallas walks into a forearm and the McGillicutter gets the pin at 8:12 shown of 11:42.

Rating: C+. The more I see of McGillicutty the more I like him and the more I can’t stand his name. I ask this a lot but are they really this afraid of him going to TNA and taking the company by storm as Joe Hennig? The guy gets better and better every week but his name makes him sound like a clown. Dallas is a guy who has energy but he doesn’t seem to have a lot of potential in him if that makes sense.

Video on Paige.

Raw ReBound.

Jake Carter vs. Leo Kruger

Kruger crouches in the corner before charging straight at Carter and stomping away in the corner. He sends Carter to the floor and stalks him before stomping even more back inside. I’m digging Kruger as the psycho big game hunter. He puts on a very modified STF and pulls on Carter’s hair and ears. A middle rope shoulder gets two for Leo and Carter comes back with some basic offense. He pounds away in the corner but misses a splash, letting Kruger hit his twisting cutter, apparently called Kruger’s End, for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C-. Not as entertaining here as it was much more of a squash than anything else. Kruger’s new gimmick where he used to be a big game hunter in Africa and is now insane is much better than being all proud and rich or whatever he was when NXT got started. Kruger looked good here but that’s about it.

Ryback vs. Francis Rene Dorian/Aiden English

Ryback’s singlet is torn partially in the opening of the match. Other than that it’s the usual destruction with the high powered offense from Ryback. English gets powerbombed, Dorian gets killed with the clothesline, and it’s a double Shell Shock for the pin at 2:27.

Kassius Ohno vs. Richie Steamboat

JR jumps in on commentary as he does with most main events on this show. Feeling out process to start until Steamboat hits a cross body and some shoulders for two each. A backdrop puts Kassius down and it’s off to a chinlock from Richie. Ohno fights up and sends Richie out to the apron and then into the buckle, knocking him to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Ohno holding a cravate across the ropes which gets two. They chop it out in the corner and it goes to a standoff. Ohno charges at Steamboat but Richie takes over with some forearms to the head. Ohno rolls through a middle rope cross body for two and hits a top rope dropkick for two. A big boot puts Richie down for two but he snaps off a superkick for two of his own. Steamboat misses a moonsault and Ohno pounds away in the corner but misses the knockout elbow, allowing Richie to small package him (fitting given his father) for the pin at 8:42 shown of 12:12.

Rating: C+. Another solid match here as this was about finding a way to beat the other guy, which is a good dynamic. The idea of the wrestler vs. the striker worked well here as you had Ohno looking for ways to hurt Steamboat, only to get caught and rolled up for a pin, which is a fine story for a match like this.

Ohno lays out Steamboat with the forearm post match and hooks that arm trap reverse cravate hold of his until referees pull him off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more like the NXT that got me fired up to watch the show every week. The idea of bringing in a name like Ryback every week is fine and it makes the fans feel like they’re getting a special treat. On top of that we got a good showing from some future stars tonight and the first real match between Ohno and Steamboat. This was a fun show overall and one of the better ones they’ve had in weeks. Also, keeping Rollins off TV for a few weeks at a time is a good idea as it makes his appearances feel special as well as allowing other names to be built up as potential challengers for the title.

Results

Michael McGillicutty b. Bo Dallas – McGillicutter

Leo Kruger b. Jake Carter – Kruger’s End

Ryback b. Francis Rene Dorian/Aiden English – Shell Shock

Richie Steamboat b. Kassius Ohno – Small Package

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

NXT

Date: August 9, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: William Regal, Byron Saxton, Jim Ross

We’re still in the title tournament this week with the other two first round matches taking place on this show. It still amazes me to see how much better this show is with just a little effort and a few new faces in there. The show is the most efficient show in wrestling today with almost no wasted time and everything hitting perfectly. Why can’t more shows be like this? I’m sure it has nothing to do with Vince not being there to run it or anything. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the announcement by Dusty last week followed by all eight participants talking about what it would mean to them to win the first title.

Gold Rush Tournament First Round: Michael McGillicutty vs. Justin Gabriel

They fight over arm control to start with Justin taking him down to the mat with an armbar into a hammerlock. The fight over the arm goes on for over a minute before Gabriel gets a side roll for two. Gabriel escapes a suplex into one of his own, floating over with it into a double armbar. We take a break and come back with McGillicutty in control and putting on a chinlock.

JR makes a Joe Walsh reference and tells the fans to Google him. It’s a shame that people would have to do that. Gabriel fights up but they both hit cross bodies at the same time to put them both down. Gabriel gets sent into the corner where mcGillicutty charges into a boot.

Michael rolls away before Justin can try the 450 so Gabriel settles for a Blue Thunder Bomb instead, getting two. In a cool move, McGillicutty grabs a small package and rolls through it even further into a Perfect Plex for two. Gabriel counters a backbreaker into the Eye of the Hurricane. Justin tries a top rope Lionsault but McGillicutty rolls out of the way and the McGillicutter gets the pin at 8:05 shown of 11:35.

Rating: C+. This was the usual good match you would expect from these guys. McGillicutty is getting better and better every time out there but he’s not going to go anywhere on the main show because of whatever their latest reason is to not push new people. Gabriel also looked good here which is a good sign as he’s showing there’s a lot more to him than the 450. Good stuff here.

McGillicutty vs. Rollins is the first semi-final.

Kassius Ohno vs. CJ Parker

Parker takes him into the corner to start but it’s quickly to a standoff. Ohno works on the arm but gets quickly rolled up for two. He bails to the floor to break Parker’s momentum, only to trip Parker up and hit a slingshot stomp coming back inside. A running forearm in the corner puts Parker down again and a flipping backsplash gets two.

Off to a chinlock for a bit before Ohno kicks him in the head to counter a sunset flip. A few more boots to the head put Parker down but he avoids the forearm and makes his comeback. Parker hits a side kick for two but charges into a big boot. The spinning forearm to the back of the head gets the pin at 4:33.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t all that impressed here. Ohno is being used as a one trick guy who uses nothing but strikes. The match was pretty dull and Parker was just ok looking. I know Ohno has been around forever and has a ton of indy experience, but this version of him isn’t working for me for the most part.

After Jason Jordan/Mike Dalton beat Hunico/Camacho last week, they say NXT is their proving ground.

Ascension video.

Paige/Tamina Snuka vs. Kaitlyn/Caylee Turner

Great, four Divas instead of two. Turne and Snuka start things off and we’re immediately told who Tamina’s dad is. Off to Kaitlyn after Turner is shoved down and they fight over a top wristlock. Paige comes in and goes nuts, stomping Kaitlyn down into the corner. Kaitlyn escapes a headlock with a clothesline for two. Off to Turner who works on Paige’s arm. The crowd is mostly dead for this. It’s back to Tamina who runs Turner over and drops a knee on her.

Turner gets a quick rollup for two and it’s off to Kaitlyn again. After Kaitlyn uses a wide variety of stomps, Turner comes in for a chinlock. This is a very boring match if that wasn’t coming across. Tamina hits a quick Samoan Drop to escape and tags in Paige. After a fallaway slam, Paige small packages Tamina for the pin at 6:26. That’s an odd finish when you consider Paige was in full control at the time.

Rating: D. I say this every week, but it’s very obvious that the majority of the Divas have no idea how to work a match longer than a minute or so. This was nothing but basic stuff over and over again with the girls looking like they were struggling to fill in six and a half minutes. I know it’s a new idea, but maybe getting some female wrestlers instead of models might help a bit.

Derrick Bateman comes up to Bo Dallas in the back and complains about not being in the tournament. He seems to think it’s Dallas’ fault that he (Bateman) didn’t qualify but Dallas shrugs it off.

Gold Rush Tournament First Round: Bo Dallas vs. Jinder Mahal

The winner gets Steamboat next week. Mahal shoves him into the corner to start and then politely steps back to let Dallas out. Well that’s nice of him. Dallas takes him to the mat by the arm and gets two off a hiptoss. The fans want to know where their Slushies are. Mahal heads to the floor and we take a break. Back with Mahal kneeing Dallas in the ribs and hitting a low dropkick for two.

Regal talks about Mahal’s family as Mahal gets two off a neckbreaker. Mahal drops some knees to the chest for two before hitting more knees to the head. Well it worked for HHH so why not Mahal? Off to a cravate but Dallas escapes a belly to back suplex into a cross body for two. Dallas makes a brief comeback but walks into a sitout slam for two. Dallas runs up the corner and hooks a bulldog out of said corner for two. Mahal’s running knee misses but he clotheslines Dallas on the top rope. A Downward Spiral sets up the camel clutch to send Mahal to the semi-finals at 8:25 shown of 11:55.

Rating: C. Not a great match or anything but it made Mahal look good which is the idea here. Dallas isn’t someone that thrills me for the most part as he looks like a kid instead of someone intimidating and interesting. He’s ok in the ring but nothing worth watching for the most part. Mahal is decent enough for a foreign villain and for a show like NXT, that’s all he needs to be.

Overall Rating: C+. This was probably the weakest show yet but it was still good stuff. They got the stuff done that they needed to get done here and now we have a final four in the tournament. I wasn’t wild on the other two matches in there but you have to expect a misfire eventually from these guys. This was still a good show though and I’m looking forward to the rest of the tournament.

Results

Michael McGillicutty b. Justin Gabriel – McGillicutter

Kassius Ohno b. CJ Parker – Roaring Elbow to the back of the head

Paige/Tamina Snuka b. Kaitlyn/Caylee Turner – Small Package to Snuka

Jinder Mahal b. Bo Dallas – Camel Clutch

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews